Some of My Pet Peeves

There are certain things that seem to happen "all the time" that simply aggravate me, that I think of as my "pet peeves." They consist of nearly everyday occurrences, that I just believe shouldn't be! Often, they are shrugged off by others as simply the way things are, or things that you can't worry about. When I bring these types of items or topics up, many people tell me that I shouldn't "worry about it," or "who cares?" However, things like these "peeves" continue to irk me, so I wonder if anyone else has the same "peeves," or other things that "eat at" them.

One of my biggest "peeves" is when police cars are left idling. This is despite the factor that areas such as New York City have laws prohibiting idling ones engine for more than three minutes, and many areas of Long Island have similar legislation prohibiting idling for five minutes or more. If one ever has the "audacity" to request that a police officer turn off his engine, one is usually informed that the cars are left idling so that if there is a radio call, the officer can "race"off without delay. Does it really take that long to start one's engine? How about the bad example being set? How about the air pollution, especially when these cars are idling during parades, childrens sports events, or ar schools? How many millions of dollars might be saved if engines were turned off instead of idled, because of all the wasted gas consumption. Think about it - - the government tells us that gas would be saved if we turned off our car engines if we are idling more than thirty seconds to a minute, and then our police do the contrary! Some police officers state that they need to hear their police radios, yet if they are out of their cars, they aren't listening to the radio in the car. Most police officers carry hand-held radios, where they can easily monitor for emergency calls. How about when a police officer is directing traffic, yet keeps his engine idling? Does that make sense? I can get a ticket for idling my engine for too long, but it's okay for a police officer?

In non- emergency situations, police should follow the same traffic laws as everyone else. Yet, how often do we see a police car "illegally" go through a red light, or not stop at a stop sign, or speed excessively. How often do we see a police officer talking to another officer, while he permits someone to double park? Does it sometimes seem like there is some sort of selection process that some police officers use to determine which traffic offenses to deter, and in which circumstances, and with who might be the driver? In these ever- dangerous times, where our police are so very important to the safety and protection of our citizens, it is more important than ever for us to respect the police. However, that process is made much more difficult when one witnesses these and similar types of police behavior and attitudes.

As annoying as most telemarketing calls may be, I find the prerecorded telemarketing calls to be the most annoying. At least, if a person is making the call, there is some degree of consideration, and you can interupt the individual with a question. And, doesn't it seem like these annoying calls always come in at the most inconvenient times? These calls are not even as annoying as the telemarketing calls that begin with a prerecorded message that says something like, "Please hold on for our next available representative. There is important information that we need to provide you with." Of course, these messages never state what company is calling!

The modern usage of the title "Customer Service Representative" is quite often an oxymoron. How many companies actually offer customer service these days? (Read my Associated Content article on Customer Service Best Practices.) Take, for example, the situation, where you need to reach a company because of some question about your bill.Invariably, one gets the message, "Please hold on for the next available representative. Your time is important to us." Doesn't that really make you feel wanted?

How about when you call a company at, for example 9:15 A.M., and you get the message, "No one is able to take your call at this time. Please call during our regular business hours, 8:30 A.M. to 5 P.M." I'm not sure if that is more aggravating or when you get a message that is obviously dated, mentioning a date or event that has already passed.

These are just a few of my "favorite peeves." What really aggravates you?